Workers in the construction industry require a stable work surface at a work site to support their tools. A portable workbench is particularly useful because it supports a tool in an easy-to-access, elevated position. A typical workbench includes a horizontal crossbeam supported over a surface by a series of legs. The tool is secured to the crossbeam, providing a stable surface on which to operate the tool. The beam further includes a work stop or work support adapted to support the distal end of the workpiece extending from the cutting deck.
Workbenches are particularly useful in supporting cutting devices such as miter saws. A miter saw makes cuts by pulling or pivoting a spinning circular saw blade down onto a workpiece of material in a short, controlled, chopping motion. The workpiece (e.g., a piece of wood) is typically held against a fence, which provides the cutting angle between the blade and the longest workpiece edge. In conventional miter saws, the fence is fixed in a position generally parallel to the crossbeam of the workbench supporting the miter saw. In use, a workpiece is placed on the fence, with one edge oriented under the saw blade and the opposite (distal) end supported by a support connected to the workbench.
Since the fence is fixed, the miter index is changed by altering the drop angle of the blade with respect to the fence. For example, the cutting deck, to which the blade is coupled, may rotated left or right to set it at a desired angle with respect to the fence. A compound feature (i.e., a compound miter saw) further allows the angle of the cutting blade to be changed relative to the horizontal plane. Thus, the blade can be angled left or right (called the miter angle), as well as be tilted side to side (called the bevel angle) to provide for bevel cutting.
While conventional workbenches provide adequate support for saws with stationary fences, problems arise when the saw includes adjustable fences. These saws include a stationary cutting deck and fences that are repositionable along the deck. These tools present unique challenges because, during operation, the fences may not position the workpiece such that it runs parallel to the crossbeam of the workbench. For example, the distal end of a workpiece (i.e., the end positioned away from the cutting blade) may not be properly supported by the bench's crossbeam, work stop, or work support. This, in turn, makes it more difficult to control the position of the workpiece on the cutting deck.
Thus, it would be desirable to provide a device operable to selectively reposition the tool with respect to a workbench.